Social Science (087) — AI-generated practice question

Group 1: Awadh Peasants

(a) For Awadh peasants, swaraj meant freedom from oppressive landlords (talukdars) and colonial revenue demands. They believed Gandhi Raj would end exploitation — rents would be cancelled, lands restored, and their suffering would be over. They imagined swaraj as a time of complete economic liberation from landlordism.

(b) This clashed with Congress goals because the Congress refused to support "no-rent" campaigns, fearing it would alienate rich peasants and landlords who were useful allies. The Congress wanted a broad anti-imperial coalition, not a class struggle against landlords.

Group 2: Plantation Workers in Assam

(a) For plantation workers, swaraj meant the freedom to move freely — to leave tea gardens and return to their villages. Trapped under the Inland Emigration Act of 1859, they could not leave without permission. They believed Gandhi Raj would give them land in their home villages.

(b) Their response — abandoning plantations and marching home — went far beyond the Congress's organised, disciplined programme of boycotts. Congress had not sanctioned such spontaneous defiance, and their movement was unconnected to the Congress's strategic goals of political self-rule.

Source: Chapter 2, Sections 2.3 and 3.2

---

• Always name the group clearly before answering (a) and (b).
• Part (a) needs a specific definition of swaraj for that group — not a general statement.
• Part (b) must show a clash with Congress: what Congress wanted vs. what the group wanted.
• The plantation workers example is directly from Section 2.3 — examiners love this specific example because it's vivid and factually precise (Inland Emigration Act detail earns marks).
• Stay within ~120 words total; one tight paragraph per sub-question per group is enough.